The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and abdominal aortic atheromatosis (AA-At) using a hand-held ultrasound by a general practitioner in Primary Health Care.

Standardized measurements were made and aorta was tried to be visualized in its entirety, and a minimum of three hard copy images were obtained: upper transverse subxiphoid section, lower transverse section for distal view of aorta, and longitudinal section (with origin of celiac trunk or superior mesenteric artery), determining the maximum diameter in centimeters (cm).

Device: Ultrasound (Trademark:VScan; Manufacturer:General Electrics)

Standardized measurements were made and aorta was tried to be visualized in its entirety, and a minimum of three hard copy images were obtained: upper transverse subxiphoid section, lower transverse section for distal view of aorta, and longitudinal section (with origin of celiac trunk or superior mesenteric artery), determining the maximum diameter in centimeters (cm).

Detailed Description:

Pilot study that prospectively study a cohort of men over 50 years with cardiovascular risk factors: active smokers, former smokers, or hypertensive patients, attended in primary health care center. General Practitioner complete an ultrasonography training in an Ultrasound Unit under supervision of experienced radiologists using an standard ultrasound equipment and hand-held ultrasound (Trademark: VScan®, Manufacturer: General Electric, USA). All images and video recorded are blindly evaluated by a radiologist in order to establish the concordance in the interpretation of images between general practitioner and radiologist. Kappa index is calculated to study the agreement on the presence or absence of AAA and AA-At. Logistic regression analysis is used to determine the factors that influence the presence of AA-At

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

50 Years and older (Adult, Senior)

Genders Eligible for Study:

Male

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Smokers

Former smokers.

Hypertensive patients

Contacts and Locations

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Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01679288